


Sugar and Spice

by ShiDreamin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23866492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiDreamin/pseuds/ShiDreamin
Summary: “… Hinata?” The whisper slips out, inevitable even as warmth reddens his cheeks.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 17
Kudos: 128





	Sugar and Spice

The sound of a harp chiming would be calming if it weren’t five AM in the morning, screeching at maximum volume in the chilly apartment. Kageyama Tobio hisses, pawning for his pillow around his head for a moment before relenting with a sigh, accepting his fate. The autumn cold has crept into his room, lighting goosebumps on his skin, mind whirling as the minutes catch up.

He was supposed to be up an hour ago.

It’s with a curse that he stumbles out of bed, morning routine half-heartedly completed. Washing up, dressing, skipping breakfast for the third time this week—and it’s only Wednesday. By the time Flying Crows comes into view, he’s shakily out of breath from pedaling over, locking his bike to the orange and black themed gate to the café. The small crows in the border of the sign had first caught his eye, and a look at the warm interior covered with shades of orange and yellow with the smallest hints of black beckoned him. The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the register with a pin on and a small sympathetic smile from the cafe's unofficial mom, Sugawara.

Kageyama finds it slightly ridiculous that he has to wake up at 4 every morning, run down to take a shift at the cafe, run to class that starts at nine, and return for afternoon shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, evening shift for Wednesdays and Fridays. He has weekends off, which he's forever grateful for because whoever created universities obviously hated children, as his class schedule indicates. So far Kageyama's tried to burn the paper with his glares at least fourteen times now, and he could have sworn that his last attempt caused the paper to become the slightest bit hot. Not that Tsukishima or Yamaguchi would hear it. Sometimes, he wonders how he ended up friends with the two.

The familiar chiming of the bell tolling alerts Kageyama to stifle his yawn, a smile plastered on his face. It falls the moment he recognizes the familiar gelled spike wandering through the door; Nishinoya spares no mercy in sauntering over, smirking like the annoying second year he is.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you expecting someone else? Someone with... bright red-orange hair?" Kageyama manages an eye roll as Nishinoya dissolves into giggles. The risk of glancing to the side mirror is awarded a grimace at the pink tint overtaking his cheeks. Though not Tsukishima level of pale, he’s grown aware of how often his blushes were both obvious and unflattering for his features. At the sound of a second bell and a muffled yelp, he turned to the entrance again, not even bothering with a fake smile.

Daichi stands at the entrance, choosing to raise his eyebrows expectantly at the two. Kageyama raises his hands in defense, considering he had actually come on time for his shift. Nishinoya manages to bite down on his last chuckle and shuffles quickly away to the back room; Kageyama would guess it was both to get changed and also a bid for safety. His gaze returns back to the entrance to see Daichi's amused shake of the head and wonder to himself why the man bothered with the two sometimes.

"Thanks for coming in so early, Kageyama. I set up the sign outside, would you like to see?" Daichi offers.

It’s only basic survival instincts that stop Kageyama from agreeing; the last time he had agreed to look at a new addition to the cafe he had been stuck holding a teacup in different positions for 2 hours 24 minutes. To this day, he avoids any mention of decoration, especially regarding holiday events.

Perhaps knowingly, Daichi laughs and shrugs, grabbing a nearby apron and heading to the kitchen to begin baking sweets for the morning rush. Kageyama manages to muffle his snort at the sound of smack and yelp from the back—clearly, Nishinoya isn’t escaping from his lateness unpunished. Alone at the counter, Kageyama risks another glance at the doorway, wondering if it would be too strange to imagine a wisp of orange.

University had seemed like a great idea. He was graduating from high school and by the end of senior year, rifts had begun to form between his team and him. Luckily, he had entered Karasuno University, a school in the countryside, and made plans to enjoy his time away from the toxic atmosphere of his high school. He would be in a new school, enter a new team and make new friends. Oh, how the world had humored him. Up until he actually entered Karasuno, that is.

Coach Ukai had taken one look at him before announcing loudly that he had better join this university's volleyball team. After hearing the coach yell at him repeatedly for all of opening week, Kageyama had said that he couldn't join the team because he had other extracurricular activities. It seemed like a foolproof plan until Coach Ukai asked him what he did. That's where he messed up.

"A... job! Too far from the school, and um... I am so swept up in it!" hadn't been convincing enough, and Kageyama found himself agreeing to bring the teacher to his job a week from then. Which was the start of the end of his life.

Despite what he would have assumed for college, it turned out that such jobs were reserved for students with financial aid who were supposed to earn it through working. Which, honestly, just confused Kageyama because he had thought financial aid was meant to help students not take on several jobs to finance their education. By the end, he had looking high and low in every corner for a suitable job until Yamaguchi took pity on his soul and directed him towards a small cafe not far from the school that he and Tsuki enjoyed frequenting. Despite finding the idea of working customer service annoying, Kageyama decided it was better than spending the rest of his life deaf from his coach’s vocal chords.

It started with Tanaka, definitely. It had been three, the middle of afternoon shift, and the buzzcut second year had been manning the register and chatting it up with a black-haired beauty and her perky blonde underclassmen. He had taken one look at the scene before groaning in annoyance and leaving the line to walk around to the back, hoping to find the manager so he could talk about jobs and not boobs. That was his first mistake.

He found himself face to face with a spiky-haired student at the side of the stand. Or more accurately, chest to face. He risked a look down and barely bit back a surprised yelp; surely the person looking up at him had to be younger than 16? How had he managed to find a job here?

"... What are you doing?" Kageyama had blinked in surprise at the tone. So, not a child. A closer look at the uniform revealed a name tag, spelling out 'Nishinoya Yuu'. Above the words were a script 'nice to meet you'. The curious untrusting look beneath Nishinoya's hair was not exactly conclusive to friendly.

"Ah, can I speak with your manager?" Kageyama had managed. In the back of his mind, he questioned his actions; the cashier was some enthusiastic guy who looked more like a gang leader than a friendly helper and the person looking up at him appeared to be no older than maybe fourteen. The child lookalike shouted, "Asahi! Sugawara! Daichi!" before turning back to Kageyama, a scowl brewing.

"I am not a child. I'm a second year at Karasuno. And yes, you did say that aloud." Kageyama opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of approaching people. He blinked at the appearance of three people who seemed to be a stark contrast to the cashier and the second year.

The man in front, who's tag read Daichi, was tall in height and had a gentle smile. But his straight posture and the way he was smacking the flour off his hands on his apron read as a 'no-nonsense' attitude. Behind him was a silver-haired lean man who walked rather closely to Daichi, who offered a gentle welcoming smile to Kageyama. The third man was tall and muscular, yet despite his build, he was hunched into himself, with colorful buttons adorning his apron that seemed more suitable for someone of Nishinoya’s stature.

"Hello, welcome to Flying Crows! I'm Daichi and these two are Sugawara and Asahi," Kageyama did not miss the flicker of warmth in the man's eyes as he glanced at Sugawara, his eyes furrowing in confusion that the unspoken exchange. "Sugawara and I own Flying Crows and Asahi is our manager. Is something a problem?" Daichi glanced over Nishinoya and noticed the small pout on the dual hair student's face, no doubt the customer mentioned something about his height. Sugawara gave him a gentle bump on the hip and a nod at Tanaka’s distracted serving of the next guest, indicating that it was likely not a confrontation.

"Actually, I was wondering if you have an open spot? I, I'd like to apply for a job here," Kageyama muttered, grimacing at the heat rising from his neck. Stuttering was unlike the strict posture he tended to adopt in the past, but he had never actually applied for a job before. Actually, he had never taken an interview before either—wait? Did this involve an interview process?

Thoughts buzzing in his head, Kageyama had failed to notice the amused glances shared between the three.

"A job huh? Well, we aren't hiring now, but if you'd like we can put you on a waitlist? Come to the back with us. Asahi, go back to finishing those cupcakes would you? And you two," Daichi commanded, looking at the Tanaka and Nishinoya who had both flinched guiltily, "focus on your jobs rather than eavesdropping would you?" Nishinoya had frowned but returned to the coffee machine while Tanaka chose the more mature route of sticking his tongue out.

In minutes, Kageyama found himself shifting in an office room, spilling his guts about the team, Coach Ukai's suggestion, his aversion to his high school former teammates, and his own trap leading him on this desperate search for a job. Kageyama had flinched at the sound of laughter from the two owners, and silently pondered the power of a team mom. Sugawara, despite his soft appearance, knew how to coax the truth from people.

"Hmm, well, that's fine! Us three graduated from Karasuno and decided to stay in the area, thus Flying Crows were born. We have a side manager, Ennoshita, who brought us Nishinoya and Tanaka. And now comes you." With the two gazes locked on him, Kageyama found himself fidgeting again, redness returning to his cheeks. With fear of the two gone, there was nothing left stopping him from addressing two facts: first, that he’s hopelessly gay, and second, that they’re actually really attractive. The only thing he could hope for was that this job would not leave him crushing over some stupid customer.

That was how he found himself working at Flying Crows for most of his week. It was a tight schedule and though the initial meeting with coach Ukai had been embarrassing, but two months later it had become routine. At least, that had been the plan.

"Thinking about your beauty?" Kageyama flinched at the voice and glared down at Nishinoya, who was grinning at him. Ennoshita wouldn't come in to manage the front and back until 6, which meant that Kageyama's only protection from Nishinoya lay in Daichi, who spent every morning in the back baking. By that, he had no protection from any teasing.

"Be quiet, you. And say that I was, well at least I wouldn’t have to get on my tiptoes for a kiss,” Kageyama stated as blandly as he could manage, pulling at his collar in hopes to hiding the familiar rush of heat. At the startled look Nishinoya gave him, mouth gaping and eyes narrowing, he gave himself a pat on the back. Before the two could continue their spat (it really wasn't a spat at all. Kageyama just happened to be snarky in the mornings and Nishinoya wouldn't take a hint even if you beat him with it) the bell at the door rang, the clock hitting 5:30. The morning rush was here.

His first customer is a redhead whom Kageyama finds himself glancing over at her hair and short stature often, mind wandering. He nearly writes the wrong name on her cup before Nishinoya coughs behind him, causing his marker to go off track. Her drink is presented with a bowed head, and aversion of eyes. Following her is a familiar loud couple, one with black bed hair and the other more focused on his Nintendo than his boyfriend. Their one-sided flirting was uncomfortable to witness until the shorter boy rolled his eyes, leaned up, and stole a kiss before slinking off. His boyfriend scrambled to follow.

Morning rush goes until 7, slowing to a trickle by 9 on most days, the end of Kageyama’s shift a signal to leave for class. At the beginning he found himself awkwardly darting out at the end of the hour; now, he’s become familiar with familiar students turned customers. The now-familiar senior beauty and her freshman sidekick, and occasionally Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. More often than not, their visit would end in bickering between Tsuki and Kageyama and Yamaguchi would, red-faced, drag his boyfriend out of the cafe.

In recent days, Kageyama’s found himself aware of one more regular.

A short boy, hardly taller than Nishinoya, with hair as bright and red as the sun. Small lips but a wide smile, and large eyes that sparkled. He tended to wander in at the crawl of rush hour, licking his lips as he stared up at the menu. The same sweets order every day- a chocolate fudge cookie, glazed donut and breakfast sandwich. The donut and cookie were always devoured; the sandwich saved for a later snack.

The memorization of his order was alarming enough. The knowledge of his name, Hinata Shouyo, was another lesson. What struck nerves in Kageyama the most was the question posed every shift, being posed now, the redhead front and center. There must be a crack in the doorway, for how quickly Kageyama feels his palms turn clammy, his face hot.

“What would you suggest for me to drink?” From behind long lashes and dew eyes, and every time Kageyama finds himself faltering.

He had tried to write Shouyo on the cup, once, but felt so flustered it ended up in the trashcan. Twice now he’d try writing his number. Nine simple numbers, yet the fourth digit always managed to result in a black scrawl that marked over the rest of the order.

Glancing at Hinata now, Kageyama wonders if it would be acceptable to escape to the kitchen to hide behind Daichi or Ennoshita.

“If you look outside, we have pumpkin spice coffee on the menu,” Kageyama intones, annoyance at his behavior overtaking. “Have that with, er, soy milk.” Hinata seemed the healthy type. Or he was projecting.

“Sure, thank you!” Hinata beamed, sunshine and rainbows, unaware of the crushing squelch of Kageyama’s heart. “And, and, a chocolate fudge cookie, and a breakfast sandwich, and, uh”

It is easy enough to tune out the words, pen scrawling the familiar order and off to Nishinoya. Familiarity becomes routine, muscle memory conducting Kageyama to search between the warm stands for the ideal chocolate fudge. No harm meant to Daichi, of course, but breakfast sweets always run the risk of laying in the heat for too long. He spies a perfect cookie two rows down, second from the left—large, warm, chocolate delight. Now for the donuts.

Unknown to him, Ennoshita and Nishinoya were now quiet, realizing the lull at the cashier was the result of Kageyama completely taken by the process of selecting the ideal sweet for his crush. Ennoshita gave Nishinoya a gentle push towards the coffee machine, and though pouting, the shorter boy did begin creating Hinata’s drink. Taking mercy on the soft mumblings that spill from Kageyama when he’s particularly frustrated, Ennoshita bends down and taps his shoulder.

“Think your ginger boyfriend could stand to wait a few minutes?” The sight of Kageyama erupting red to his hair would be a rarity a few weeks back; now, with Hinata becoming a familiar face, Kageyama’s newfound innocence is commonplace. “Daichi’s almost done with the next batch of glazed donuts.”

“Um, sure. But I’m not, he’s not,” Kageyama’s eyes flickered between Ennoshita and Hinata for a moment, face simply getting darker, until he heaved a sigh. “It’s fine. I’m fine. We’re fine. Sure.”

The sentiment was shared as Daichi emerged from the kitchen, a single eyebrow raised at his scheming employees. Jerking his shoulders upward, Kageyama stumbled back to the register, still red-faced, internal screaming rising in pitch at the realization that Hinata was still there, looking briefly amused.

“Hi,” he squeaked. He hates this. He hates everything about this. Remember when he was cool? Kageyama remembers.

His panic attack is ruined by Nishinoya jabbing him with his elbow, a huff and finished pumpkin latte in hand, the word soy written along the side. With significantly more gentleness, Daichi brings over the tray of donuts, steam wafting upwards, and places it between Kageyama and Hinata. The two ooh and aah over the assortment, hands wandering over the sugared confections. At once, Kageyama points at one in the front right, extra glaze oozing, and Hinata made a show of clapping.

“That one’s perfect, Kageyama!” Hinata praises, and he is certain his face glows.

He swipes the breakfast sandwich, remarkably warmer than the rest in the basket to his knowledge, acutely aware of Ennoshita’s involvement. In moments, it is neatly packaged in a brown bag, donut, and then cookie, placed on top. It is only then, peering into the black hole of the bag meant to go into Hinata’s hands, that he comes to the realization that the entire morning shift scheduled their work to adjust to Hinata’s arrival, with additional background jabbing at Kageyama.

“Here’s your order,” Kageyama manages, brows decisively narrowed. He slides the bag over, barely restraining a grimace at the sticky resistance to it from the sugared countertop. Hinata barely seems to register the squelching, instead passing over his card with a smile.

“Thank you, Kageyama!” Does Hinata know that his smile could replace the sun, the moon, the stars that seem to erupt into a billion dazzling flakes overhead? Because he should. His joy somehow even manages to drown out the inevitable slow-mo of their fingers touching as Kageyama receives the card.

“$10.34. Uh, here’s your receipt, please sign.” Months ago, Nishinoya had brought up the dawning technology monstrous demand for better card readers and touch screens, simpler and smoother operations during their early morning rush. Any and all ideas he pitched for upgrading their computer systems were quickly shut down by the realization that Asahi still struggled to properly use his smartphone. Nishinoya needled him for a month afterward until he could enable facial recognition without assistance.

The receipt is passed back with the same plastered smile, as bright as always. Kageyama manages to smooth it out, folding it twice against the countertop. With a crinkling of the bag now clutched in his hand, and a delightful sprinkling of pink on the tops of his cheeks, Hinata takes a step back with a wave.

“See you, Kageyama,” he mumbles, and then the next customer is there and Kageyama is back to the rush at hand.

Coffee and lattes and donuts fly in and out of his hand, remarkably faster, yet more of a drag, without Hinata’s presence at mind. Kageyama caps steaming cappuccinos and shakes rattling frappuccinos; he delights a few with a tower of freshly baked cookies. He leaves some cups, dress in a ceramic cup and gold-trimmed platter for indoor seating, open for the steam to waft in the air.

After a shift, every shift, Kageyama comes out smelling distinctly like caffeine, powdered sugar, and the special of the day. For today, it’s pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg. Not the worst combination in hindsight, certainly better than the sticky feeling of powdered mango against his fingers.

The receipts box goes through the back kitchen to the accounting room, where Daichi and Suga usually do some intense mathematics about profitability. In reality, they usually just make sure that prices are accurate, change has been given, and that no receipt has come back without signage or bouncing.

By the time classes are over, mothering by Yamaguchi throughout the day, Kageyama is thoroughly exhausted and unwilling to return to his shift at Flying Crows. He must be visibly sagging when he approaches the door, because Ennoshita greets him softly with a plate of cookies and pretzels, still soft from the oven.

“Oi, Kageyama!” Tanaka calls, cringing when Ennoshita shushes him with a pinched frown. His voice drops low, leaning in carefully and sliding a hand onto Kageyama’s worn shoulder. “Hey, boss wanted to see you. Told me to call you when you came in.”

Panic flares in Kageyama’s chest, drawing his shoulders unexpectedly forward, plate suddenly tilting with shaky fingers. Ennoshita yelps, angling the platter before the sweets can spill onto the floor, shooting another look Tanaka’s way. Sensing danger, Tanaka raises both hands, careful to tiptoe away from Kageyama, damage done.

“He really didn’t need to phrase it like that,” Ennoshita sighs, edging the plate away from tight fingers. One hand comes to draw small circles in the bend of Kageyama’s back, willing his tenseness away. “It’s nothing bad, honestly! It’s a good thing.”

Kageyama must look incredibly skeptical, because Ennoshita cringes and releases his grasp on Kageyama. He shifts from foot to foot, glancing towards the back room before leaning in close.

“It’s a good thing from Hinata.”

Immediately, Kageyama can feel a familiar warmth nip at his skin, flaring hot. Ennoshita laughs, softening as he moves away, plate tittering in his grasp.

“I’ll save these here, go ask Daichi about it.” Feeling thoroughly seen, and somehow less exhausted, Kageyama marches forward towards the backroom. It is odd to see Daichi sans powdered apron, usually adorning colorful stickers and drawings from a combination of Kiyoko’s odd doodles and Nishinoya’s obscure collection of vintage stamps and stickers. Here, he is gentle, a hand clasped around Sugawara’s, their eyes flickering upward together when Kageyama’s knock echoes.

“There you are, Kageyama. What’s happened?” Daichi asks, brows knitting in concern at the droop in his employee’s shoulders. Kageyama manages a shrug, eyes darting on the floor, tongue heavy now that he’s on the spot.

“You must be tired from class, hm?” Sugawara chimes, jostling Daichi’s elbow just slightly. The sweet smile that adorns his face spreads when he stands, swiping a small slip from the desk. “We won’t take your time. Daichi and I were checking receipts when we found something that belongs to you.”

His? Kageyama frowned, taking the twice-folded white slip in his hand. Though the employees at Flying Crows were allowed, even encouraged, to snack on baked sweets on the job (they somehow believed it would lead to increased sales—well, Kageyama couldn’t say they were wrong, either, when the entire gallery _ooh_ ed and _aah_ ed over Daichi’s waffle cookies), they weren’t charged for the snacks they swiped. He shouldn’t have had a receipt.

It’s not his receipt.

Pumpkin spice coffee with soy milk, chocolate fudge cookie, and a glazed donut. $10.34.

Nine numbers written in blue ink, across the top.

“… Hinata?” The whisper slips out, inevitable even as warmth reddens his cheeks. Daichi barks out a laugh, quickly silenced by the not so quiet slap at his back, Sugawara smiling despite the hidden strength in his hands. His fingers twist, pinching Daichi harsh enough to earn a helpless whimper, before glancing back up.

“You can go, Kageyama,” Sugawara suggests, his smile shifting into something softer, “we’re not too busy right now. Why don’t you take a break?”

Kageyama takes the dismissal as it is, sliding out of the door but not before the sound of something possibly snapping rings behind him. Sugawara has always been nothing but kind to his juniors, but there’s something slinking beneath his grins every time he’s with Asahi and Daichi alone.

His fingers play with the wrinkled paper in his hand. There’s a hole punched straight through, right where he punctured it this morning. What had been different about today? What had changed?

The words they exchanged, the time, the smell of fresh sugar and coffee panel through his mind. Hinata’s sunny smile, the gap between his teeth, the bubbly way with which he greeted Kageyama. The gentleness with which he took his snacks, the fierceness with which he took on life. The way he went from coming in with his friends, chatting about schoolwork, to coming alone, just to visit Kageyama every morning.

The fact that his fingers were warm when they brushed his, that no one’s been particularly discreet about Kageyama’s poorly hidden crush, that Hinata keeps coming by anyway.

Nothing had changed today.

Kageyama’s stomach hurts, his heart flutters. For the sake of avoiding future awkwardness, he ought to just pretend to never see this, shove the receipt back into the books where it _should_ be, until the numbers get checked and the papers get recycled. It would be for the best, for himself, for Hinata, for the continued peace and quiet of Flying Crows.

Yet he’s punching new numbers into his phone, and staring at the screen, thinking about the sun.

“Hello?”

“Hi. This is Kageyama.”

**Author's Note:**

> Some KageHina!  
> I've never gotten over socially awkward Kageyama getting a small push by Hinata that makes them both happy ;-; so cute and good
> 
> I haven't finished a new Haikyuu!! fic for a while, but I've had this cafe AU draft sitting around forever. It's amazing that even years after initially getting into HQ I'm still an emotional wreck about seeing the boys grow up. I can't believe it's coming to an end ;-; Thank you for the wonderful volleyball adventures all these years Furudate. 
> 
> If you enjoyed reading my fics, want to yell about found families, or support me, please check out my twitter [ @Shidreamin ](https://twitter.com/shidreamin/)! I’m more active on there, and you’ll be able to see my zine previews before I post them here, as well as some WIP in the future! I've also recently set up a [ Curious Cat ](https://curiouscat.me/shidreamin/) and [ Ko-Fi ](https://ko-fi.com/shidreamin/), if you'd prefer messaging me anonymously. ♥ ♥ ♥


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